Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi people im about to pick up a pair of bearded dragons from my local pet shop and have been interested in them for a long time and have studied them so i was just wondering if you guys can give me tips and let me know more about them just as much as you guys are willing to teach me THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

One thing that you need to know now is that pairs can't live together, you would need separate cages pretty soon. They are probably brother and sister, so they shouldn't be allowed to breed, plus if they live together as babies they will mate before the female is ready, and she could die. Males put a lot of stress on females, so they have to live apart. Only female-female pairs can live together, but even they may not get along.
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I agree with dsgnGrl about the pairing, and I'm glad for once someone else said it before I got here (get tired of typing the same thing all the time.)

Also, don't take any substrate your pet store tries to sell you. Calcium-sand and walnut shell litters are very dangerous to baby BDs and are known in the reptile crowd for causing many serious impactions and possibly death. Even regular playsand right now isn't a good idea. The only suitable substrates for your babies right now are going to be paper towels, newspaper, or non-adhesive shelf liner. None of which your pet store sells.

My other advise is RESEARCH. You've already done that, but don't stop there. Read as much as you can, and when you think you know everything READ SOME MORE. There are a lot of opinions out there on how to take care of these animals properly, some are good and some are bad. The more you know about them the more prepared you will be to decide which are the right choices.

And never be afraid to ask questions. That's what we're here for.
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Amanda
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2.0 bearded dragons (Ocho / Domo-kun)

0.1 kingsnake (Rio)
1.0 ferret (Playstation)
1.0 cat (Wally)
0.1 dog (Tima)

Amanda,,,, I think we need to save some of these in Word & just copy & paste. lol.........

Hustler,, One thing you can do which will answer just about all your questions, even future questions is to start reading all the posts from here. Go back as far as you can. You'll find that the same questions are asked time & time again. There are many great questions with varying answers.
I've said this before too... There is no best way of keeping these guys. What works for one, may not work for another. You have to read all the advice, try what you think will work for you & most importantly the dragon. If it doesn't work, try something else.

One of what I think is most important but so often overlooked is, if you get more than one dragon from different sources, you must follow a strict quarantine practice. That is a deep topic so I'll let you do some research & see how far some people take it. (most people don't & they pay for it.)

I hope that helps.
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Joel R

Coming Soon!
www.SpikesAndScales.com

I would also suggst not buying form a pwt store. TNow I know there are thre or four good pet stores around the country, but the vast majority are not the best place to look for a new pet. Even in better pet stores the huge number of animals coming in from different places makes the risk of disease and parasites very very high. But most pet stores by the animals way to young, just out of the egg in many cases. They then keep these new and fragile dragons in much less them perfect conditions. I had friends that worked in pet stores during highschool and college, and when they cleaned the cages between animals that only meant wiping out the noticeable poop, even if the last animal had died. They also estimated that about 40% ot their stock died before they could sell it because it was cheeper to just buy new animals then to keep the ones they had in proper conditions. Also, at our rescue, about 90% of the animals we get in were bought from pet stores. A good breeder will get you a very healthy animals and provide lifetime support with any care/health questions you have. They will have rasised hundreds of dragons, and they willnot be guessing on care info like the high school kids inthe pet stores do. If you want a healthy dragon a breederis the way to go!
also, check out my care sheet. I am proud of it...hehe
www.kakadudragons.com/caresheet/caresheet.php

I can recommend a few other breeders too:
On this forum I have bought a dragon from JoelR, and he is huge and beautiful.

I have read many posts over the last year and a half from beardie dragon, he is a great person to get a healthy animal from I am sure. http://www.beardiedragon.com

www.beginnersbasics.com is also a good place for a great dragon at a low price.

www.dachiu.com well, what can you say about these guys, healthy dragons here.

www.dragonsbynature.com I have dealt with these nice folks several times and their dragons are treated like family!

oh and
www.mystical-dragons.com He really puts a lot into his dragons. Who else hs been personally endorsed by Chris Allen, hehe.
Kakadu Dragons

here's some common Q&A
try here

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Bennett

Home of the Florida Orange
www.beardiedragon.com